abjure
v. renounce upon oath; abandon forever |
abstract
a. theoretical; not concrete; not applied or practical; difficult to understand |
abstruse
a. obscure; profound; difficult to understand. |
accretion
n. growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion |
acerbic
a. sour or bitter in taste; harsh or corrosive in tone |
acquiesce
v. assent; accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively |
acrimonious
a. bitter and sharp in language, tone, or manner |
acrimony
n. animosity, sharp or bitter hatred |
adroit
a. skillful and adept under pressing conditions |
adumbrate
v. give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shade |
aesthete
n. one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature |
agnostic
n. one who is skeptical of existence of a god or any ultimate reality |
altruism
n. the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others |
altruistic
a. unselfishly generous; concerned for others |
ambidextrous
a. capable of using either hand with equal ease |
ambulatory
a. able to walk; formed or adapted for walking; not stationary |
amorphous
a. formless; lacking shape or definition |
anachronism
n. an artifact that belongs to another time |
analogous
a. comparable in certain respects; similar or alike |
anathema
n. solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse |
anodyne
n. source of relaxation or comfort; medicine that relieves pain |
aphasia
n. loss of speech due to injury or illness |
aphorism
n. definition or concise statement of principle; tersely phrased statement of truth or opinion |
apostrophe
n. text character used to mark the possessive or to show the omission of letters or numbers |
ascetic
a. leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere |
assignation
n. a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers) |
assonance
n. the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words |
astringent
a. causing contraction; having the effect of drawing tissue together; stern or austere |
augury
n. sign of something coming; art or practice of foretelling events by signs or omens |
auspicious
a. attended by favorable circumstances; marked by success; prosperous |
austere
a. strict or severe in discipline; severely simple and unornamented |
autonomous
a. self-governing; not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent |
axiom
n. self-evident truth requiring no proof |
baleful
a. portending evil; harmful in intent or effect. |
banal
a. obvious and dull; commonplace; lacking originality |
beleaguer
v. besiege or attack; harass; surround with troops |
bellicose
a. warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; showing or having impulse to be combative |
bemused
a. confused; lost in thought; preoccupied |
benighted
a. in a state of intellectual or moral ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity
|
bevy
n. large group; a group of animals or birds, especially larks or quail |
bilk
v. defraud or cheat; frustrate or disappoint; evade or escape from |
blasphemous
a. characterized by profanity or cursing |
blithe
a. gay; joyous; carefree and lighthearted |
bombastic
a. pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaning |
bonhomie
n. a disposition to be friendly and approachable (easy to talk to) |
breach
n. breaking of contract or duty |
broach
v. introduce; bring up for discussion or debate; announce |
burgeon
v. grow forth; send out buds; grow or develop rapidly |
calumny
n. false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation; slander |
capacious
a. capable of containing a large quantity; spacious or roomy |
capitulate
v. surrender; end all resistance; give up; go along with or comply |
capricious
a. fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly |
celerity
n. swiftness of action or motion; speed |
censorious
a. critical; addicted to censure; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners; implying or expressing censure |
chalice
n. goblet; bowl-shaped drinking vessel; large drinking cup, often having stem and base |
chary
a. cautious; sparing or restrained about giving |
chicanery
n. mean or unfair artifice to obscure truth; deception by trickery or sophistry |
choleric
a. hot-tempered; easily angered; bad-tempered; expressing anger |
circumlocution
n. indirect or roundabout expression; evasion in speech or writing |
circumspect
a. carefully aware of all circumstances; cautious |
clairvoyant
n. having foresight; fortuneteller |
cogent
a. reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive |
cognate
a. related by blood; having common ancestor; related or analogous in nature, character, or function |
complicity
n. participation; involvement as partner or accomplice, especially in crime or other wrongdoing |
concave
a. hollow; curved like inner surface of sphere |
conciliatory
a. making or willing to yield, or to make concessions |
concord
n. agreement of opinions; harmonious state of things |
concordance
n. agreement of opinions |
Confluence
n. a place where things merge or flow together (especially rivers) |
congenital
a. present at birth; inborn; innate |
conscientious
a. wishing to do what is right, especially to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly; diligent; responsible; reliable |
constituent
n. component or part; citizen, voter |
construe
v. make sense of; assign a meaning to |
contrite
a. feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses |
convalescence
n. gradual healing (through rest) after sickness or injury |
convoluted
a. coiled around; highly involved; intricate |
copious
a. plentiful; containing plenty; affording ample supply |
corporeal
a. bodily; of a material nature; tangible |
cosmopolitan
a. sophisticated; of worldwide scope |
cupidity
n. greed; excessive desire, especially for wealth |
cursory
a. casual; brief or broad; not cautious, nor detailed |
dearth
n. scarcity; shortage of food; famine from failure or loss of crops |
debauch
v. corrupt; seduce from virtue |
debilitate
v. make weak; enfeeble; impair the strength of |
declivity
n. downward slope, as of a hill |
decry
v. express strong disapproval of; disparage |
definitive
a. final; complete; precisely defined or explicit |
defunct
a. dead; no longer in use or existence |
deleterious
a. having harmful effect; injurious; having quality of destroying life; noxious; poisonous |
delineate
v. portray; depict; draw or trace outline of; sketch out |
denude
v. strip (something) of its covering, possessions, or assets; make bare |
desultory
a. aimless; haphazard; at random; not connected with subject |
dexterous
a. skillful in the use of the hands; having mental skill |
diaphanous
a. so thin as to transmit light |
diatribe
n. thunderous verbal attack |
dictum
n. a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source |
differentiate
v. set apart; distinguish; perceive or show difference in or between |
diffidence
n. lack of self-confidence |
disburse
v. expend, as from a fund |
discretionary
a. having or using the ability to act or decide according to your own discretion or judgment |
discursive
a. tending to depart from main point or cover a wide range of subjects |
disgorge
v. bring up and expel from throat or stomach; vomit; discharge or pour forth contents |
divination
n. successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck |
doctrinaire
a. unable to compromise about points of doctrine; unyielding |
dour
a. stubbornly unyielding; marked by sternness or harshness |
ebullient
a. showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm |
effervescent
a. used of wines and waters; charged naturally or artificially with carbon dioxide |
effluvia
n. waste; foul-smelling outflow or vapor |
egregious
a. notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking |
emollient
n. having softening or soothing effect, especially to skin |
endemic
a. prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country |
enjoin
v. direct or impose with urgent appeal; order with emphasis |
ephemeral
a. short-lived; enduring a very short time |
epitome
n. representative or perfect example of a class or type; brief summary, as of a book or article |
epochal
a. highly significant or important especially bringing about or marking the beginning of a new development or era |
equivocal
a. open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead |
equivocate
v. lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth |
errant
a. wandering; deviating from an appointed course, or from a direct path; roving; irregular in motion |
eschew
v. avoid; refuse to use or participate in; stand aloof from |
ethereal
a. light as air; heavenly; unusually refined |
euphemism
n. mild expression to replace offensive, unpleasant, or embarrassing one |
euphoria
n. feeling of great happiness and well-being, sometimes exaggerated |
exacerbate
v. increase severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate |
excommunicate
v. oust or exclude from a group or membership by decree |
execrable
a. very bad; extremely inferiorl; intolerable; very hateful |
exorbitant
a. greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; exceeding proper limits |
expurgate
v. clean; remove offensive parts of book |
exult
v. rejoice; feel extreme happiness |
facile
a. done or achieved with little effort or difficulty; ready or fluent |
fallacious
a. false; tending to mislead; deceptive |
farcical
a. broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce |
fatuous
a. foolish or silly, especially in self-satisfied way |
fecund
a. capable of producing offspring or vegetation |
fervid
a. extremely hot; eager; impassioned; burning |
foible
n. moral weakness; failing; weak point; slight fault |
forestall
v. prevent by taking action in advance |
forte
n. particular skill; special talent |
fraught
a. furnished or equipped; sufficient to satisfy |
frenzied
a. madly excited; in state of hurry, panic or wild activity |
frivolous
a. lacking in seriousness; not serious; relatively unimportant |
gambol
v. dance and skip about in sport; leap playfully |
gamely
ad. bravely; in game manner; in willing and spirited fashion |
glower
v. look at with a fixed gaze; angry stare |
gnarl
v. make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath |
grandiose
a. impressive from inherent grandeur; large and impressive, in size, scope or extent |
gratuitous
a. given freely; unwarranted; granted without recompense; unearned |
gustatory
a. relating to sense of taste; relating to gustation |
hackneyed
a. repeated too often; over familiar through overuse |
harbinger
n. forerunner; an indication of approach of something or someone |
harbor
v. provide a refuge for; hide; give shelter to |
harrowing
a. agonizing; distressing extremely painful |
haughty
a. high; lofty; bold; arrogant; overbearing |
hearten
v. give encouragement to |
hermetic
a. sealed by fusion so as to be airtight |
hidebound
a. stubbornly conservative and narrow-minded |
hypothermia
n. subnormal body temperature |
ilk
n. a type of people or things similar to those already referred to
|
imbue
v. inspire or influence thoroughly; stain or dye deeply or completely |
immutable
a. unable to be changed without exception; not mutable |
impasse
n. road or passage having no exit; deadlock |
impassive
a. without feeling; revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited |
impertinent
a. improperly forward or bold; rude |
impetuous
a. marked by sudden and violent force; hasty; impulsive and passionate |
impound
v. shut up or place in an enclosure called a pound; gather and retain in a reservoir, basin, or pond |
impressionable
a. readily or easily influenced; suggestible; capable of receiving impressions; emotional |
impudent
a. improperly forward or bold; marked by casual disrespect |
incarnate
a. embodied in human form; invested with bodily nature and form |
incendiary
n. arsonist; bomb that is designed to start fires |
incense
v. enrage; infuriate; cause to be extremely angry |
inchoate
a. recently begun; imperfectly formed or developed; elementary |
incipient
a. beginning to exist or appear; in an early stage |
incongruous
a. not fitting; lacking in harmony or compatibility |
incredulous
a. difficult to believe; incredible; skeptical |
indefatigable
a. tireless; showing sustained enthusiastic action |
indelible
a. impossible to remove, erase, or wash away; permanent |
inestimable
a. beyond calculation or measure |
inexorable
a. not capable of being swayed; unyielding; implacable |
inextricable
a. not permitting extrication; incapable of being disentangled or untied |
infiltrate
v. pass into or through; penetrate with hostile intent |
infirmity
n. weakness; bodily ailment or weakness, especially one brought on by old age |
ingress
n. the act of entering |
innocuous
a. having no adverse effect; harmless |
insidious
a. spreading harmfully in a subtle manner; designed or adapted to entrap |
insolvent
a. bankrupt; unable to repay one's debts |
insular
a. of isolated people, especially having a narrow viewpoint |
integral
a. essential or necessary for completeness; entire |
interdict
v. destroy by firepower, such as an enemy's line of communication |
interject
v. to insert between other elements |
interminable
a. being or seeming to be without an end; endless; tedious; continual |
interpolate
v. estimate the value of |
intractable
a. difficult to manage or govern; stubborn; unyielding |
intrinsic
a. relating to essential nature of a thing; inherent; built-in |
inundate
v. overwhelm; cover with water, especially floodwaters |
inviolable
a. secure from corruption, attack, or violation; unassailable |
iridescent
a. exhibiting or giving out colors like those of rainbow; gleaming or shimmering with rainbow colors |
jettison
v. throw overboard; eject from boat, submarine, aircraft, or spaceship |
jocular
a. humorous, amusing or joking; sportive; not serious |
juggernaut
n. overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seems to crush everything in its path |
lachrymose
a. weeping or inclined to weep; tearful; showing sorrow |
lackadaisical
a. lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; lacking spirit or liveliness |
laggard
a. slow; sluggish; wasting time |
lassitude
n. state or feeling of weariness, diminished energy, or listlessness |
liberation
n. the attempt to achieve equal rights or status |
limpid
a. clear, transparent or bright; calm, untroubled, and without worry |
loquacious
a. talkative; given to continual talking; chattering |
machination
n. clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes |
macrocosm
n. the whole universe or entire world; complex structure, such as society, considered as single entity that contains numerous smaller-scale structures |
maladroit
a. showing lack of skill; clumsy or awkward |
malediction
n. curse; evil speaking; utterance of curse or execration |
malodorous
a. foul-smelling; having bad or offensive odor |
megalomania
n. mental disorder with delusions of grandeur |
menagerie
n. collection of live wild animals on exhibition; enclosure in which wild animals are kept |
mendicant
n. beggar; religious friar forbidden to own personal property who begs for living |
meritorious
a. deserving reward or praise |
microcosm
n. small, representative system having analogies to larger system; miniature model of something |
militate
v. have force or influence; bring about an effect or change |
misconstrue
v. interpret incorrectly; misjudge; mistake the meaning of |
misrepresentation
n. a willful perversion of facts |
mollify
v. make less rigid or softer; calm in temper or feeling |
monochromatic
a. having only one color; viewing only one color, total color blindness |
monogamy
n. having only one spouse at a time |
monolith
n. a single great stone (often in the form of a column or obelisk) |
monologue
n. speech uttered by a person alone; dramatic soliloquy |
montage
n. photographic composition combining elements from different sources |
morbid
a. caused by disease; pathological or diseased; unhealthy or unwholesome |
mores
n. conventions; moral standards; accepted traditional customs |
mote
n. tiny piece of anything; very small particle |
motley
a. multi-colored; mixed; having elements of great variety |
mottle
v. colour with streaks or blotches of different shades |
multifaceted
a. having many facets or aspects |
mundane
a. belonging to this earth or world; not ideal or heavenly; concerned with commonplaces; ordinary |
munificent
a. very liberal in giving; showing great generosity |
myopic
a. nearsighted; lacking foresight; narrow minded |
nadir
n. lowest point; point on sphere opposites zenith diametrically |
nefarious
a. very wicked; infamous by being extremely wicked |
negligent
a. careless; inattentive |
negligible
a. so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may be easily disregarded |
neologism
n. new or newly invented word or phrase |
neophyte
n. recent convert to a belief; one newly initiated |
nether
a. situated down or below; lying beneath, or in the lower part; having a lower position; lower; under; |
noisome
a. foul-smelling; offensive by arousing disgust; harmful or dangerous |
noxious
a. harmful to living things; injurious to health |
nuptial
a. relating to marriage or wedding ceremony |
obdurate
a. hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; not giving in to persuasion |
obliterate
v. destroy completely; do away with completely so as to leave no trace |
obsequious
a. slavishly attentive; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery |
obtrusive
a. inclined to intrude or thrust one's self or one's opinions upon others; enter uninvited; forward; pushing; intrusive. |
occlude
v. block passage through |
officious
a. marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others |
omnipotent
a. all-powerful; having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force |
omnivorous
a. eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything; having interest in a variety of subjects |
opulence
n. extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance |
opulent
a. rich and superior in quality |
ornithologist
n. one who makes special study of birds |
oscillate
v. swing back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm; vibrate pendulum like; waver |
ostentatious
a. showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention |
ostracism
n. the act of excluding someone from society by general consent |
ostracize
v. exclude from community or group; banish by popular vote |
paleontology
n. study of prehistoric life; science of former life of the globe |
palisade
n. fortification consisting of a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground |
palpable
a. tangible; easily perceptible; unmistakable |
panegyric
n. formal or high praise; formal eulogistic composition intended as public compliment |
pariah
n. social outcast; person who is rejected from society or home |
parsimony
n. extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily |
particular
a. special or more than usual |
partisan
a. one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party |
paucity
n. scarcity; smallness of number; fewness |
peculation
n. the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property entrusted to your care but actually owned by someone else |
pedantic
a. marked by narrow focus on or display of learning, especially formal rules and trivial points |
penchant
n. strong inclination; definite liking |
penitent
a. feeling or expressing deep regret for misdeeds |
penury
n. extreme poverty; lack of something; barrenness; insufficiency |
perfidious
a. tending to betray; disloyal; faithless |
perfidy
n. act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust reposed; faithlessness; treachery |
perjure
v. knowingly tell an untruth in a legal court and render oneself guilty of perjury |
permeable
a. penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through |
perspicacious
a. having keen insight; mentally perceptive; astute |
perusal
n. reading carefully with intent to remember |
pestilence
n. any epidemic disease with a high death rate |
posthumous
a. happening after a person's death, as of child born after father's death |
prescient
a. perceiving the significance of events before they occur |
presentment
n. formal presentation of information to court; |
presumptuous
a. overconfident; going beyond what is right or proper; excessively forward |
pretentious
a. intended to attract notice and impress others; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious |
proclivity
n. inclination; natural tendency; readiness; facility of learning |
prodigious
a. impressively great in size, force, or extent; enormous |
progeny
n. one derived from another; offspring or descendant; result of creative effort, as product |
proliferation
n. rapid growth; spread; increase in size by reproduction |
propensity
n. natural inclination; tendency or preference; predilection |
prosaic
a. dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual |
protagonist
n. principal character in a work of fiction; main character in a drama; leader of a cause; champion |
protean
a. versatile; able to take on many shapes; readily taking on varied shapes |
quadrilateral
n. four-sided polygon; having four sides |
querulous
a. habitually complaining; expressing complaint or grievance |
quiescence
n. a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction |
rancid
a. having disagreeable odor or taste of decomposing oils or fats |
raucous
a. harsh and rough-sounding; disturbing public peace; loud and rough |
ravage
v. bring heavy destruction on; devastate |
receptive
a. quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions; capable of receiving |
rectitude
n. uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment |
redress
n. remedy; compensation; act of correcting error or fault |
refute
v. disprove; prove to be false or incorrect |
reiterate
v. say, state, or perform again or repeatedly |
rejoinder
n. retort; comeback; answer to a reply |
remission
n. temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; lessening of intensity or degree |
replicate
v. duplicate, copy, reproduce, or repeat; fold over or bend back |
repose
n. relaxation; leisure; freedom from worry; peace of mind |
reprehensible
a. deserving blame; admonition; blameworthy |
reprise
n. musical repetition; repeat performance; recurrent action |
reproach
v. express disapproval or disappointment; bring shame upon; disgrace |
reprobate
n. person hardened in sin; person without moral scruples |
respire
v. breathe easily again, as after exertion or anxiety |
respite
n. usually short interval of rest or relief; delay in punishment |
restive
a. impatient under restraint or opposition; resisting control; difficult to control |
retinue
n. following members; attendants accompanying high-ranking person |
retrograde
v. go backwards; decline to inferior state; degenerate |
rhetoric
n. art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; insincere language |
ribald
a. coarse or indecent; humorously vulgar or offensive |
sagacious
a. perceptive; shrewd; having insight |
salient
a. prominent or protruding; projecting outwardly; moving by leaps or springs |
sardonic
a. disdainful or ironically humorous; cynical; scornful and mocking |
satiate
v. satisfy fully; overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself |
savant
n. scholar; man of learning or science; one eminent for learning |
scurrilous
n. obscene; indecent; expressing offensive reproach |
sedentary
a. requiring sitting; accustomed to sitting or to taking little exercise; living in one area, not migratory |
sentient
a. endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness |
sequester
v. isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude |
seraphic
a. angelic; having sweet nature befitting an angel |
serrated
a. saw-like; having a row of sharp or tooth-like projections |
sobriquet
n. nickname; familiar name for person, typically shortened version of given name |
solicitous
a. worried or concerned; full of desire; expressing care or concern |
soliloquy
n. talking to oneself; act of a character speaking to himself so as to reveal his thoughts to audience |
sonorous
a. having or producing full, loud, or deep sound; impressive in style of speech; easy to feel |
sophistry
n. argument for exercise merely; plausible but misleading argument; art or process of reasoning; logic |
sophomoric
a. immature; half-baked, like a sophomore |
soporific
a. sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness |
sportive
a. playful; relating to or interested in sports |
sprightly
a. lively; brisk; animated; vigorous; airy; gay |
stark
a. bare; complete or extreme |
stratagem
n. deceptive scheme; military maneuver designed to deceive or surprise enemy |
subpoena
n. written order to require appearance in court to give testimony |
succinct
a. brief or compact; by clear, precise expression in few words |
succulent
a. full of juicy; full of richness; highly interesting or enjoyable; delectable |
superannuated
v. declare to be obsolete |
supercilious
a. arrogant; feeling or showing haughty disdain; overbearing |
supplicant
n. someone who prays to God |
surmount
v. overcome or conquer; climb; place something above; be above or on top of |
surreptitious
a. secret; done or made by stealth, or without proper authority; made or introduced fraudulently |
swarthy
a. dark; dusky; naturally having skin of a dark color |
synopsis
n. a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory |
synthesis
n. combining parts into a coherent whole; putting of two or more things togethe |
synthetic
a. artificial; involving or of the nature of synthesis as opposed to analysis |
tableau
n. striking and vivid representation; picture |
tawdry
a. cheap in nature or appearance; tastelessly showy; shameful or indecent |
temerity
n. boldness; rashness; foolhardy disregard of danger |
tempestuous
a. very stormy; turbulent; rough with wind; impassioned; violent |
tensile
a. capable of being stretched or extended; ductile |
toady
n. person who flatters or defers to others for self-serving reasons; yes man |
transcription
n. a sound or television recording (e.g., from a broadcast to a tape recording) |
tremulous
a. marked by trembling, quivering, or shaking; timid or fearful; timorous |
turgid
a. swollen; distended; excessively ornate or complex in style or language |
undulate
a. having a wavy margin and rippled surface |
unfathomable
a. difficult or impossible to understand; difficult or impossible to measure |
unfrock
v. strip a priest or minister of church authority; remove from status as member of clergy |
unheralded
a. without warning or announcement |
unsolicited
a. not requested, welcome or invited |
unwarranted
a. having no justification; groundless; not guaranteed to be good, sound, or of a certain quality |
upbraid
v. severely criticize; reprimand; reprove sharply |
uproarious
a. characterized by loud, confused noise, or by noisy and uncontrollable laughter |
usurp
v. seize and hold power or rights of another by force or without legal authority |
veneration
n. religious zeal; willingness to serve God |
verbatim
ad. using exactly the same words; corresponding word for word |
verbose
a. wordy; using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words |
verdant
a. green; full of juice in vegetation |
verity
n. truth, fact or reality, especially enduring religious or ethical truth |
vernal
a. related to spring; suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh |
virile
a. marked by energy and vigor; manly; able to copulate, as for male |
vociferous
a. offensively loud; noisy; making outcry |
volley
n. flight of missiles; round of gunshots; tennis return made by hitting the ball before it bounces |
voluble
a. fluent; glib; talkative; marked by ready flow of speech |
voluminous
a. large in volume or bulk; large in number or quantity, especially of discourse |
voracious
a. ravenous; excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities |
waver
v. play or move to and fro; move one way and the other; swing; be unsettled in opinion |